Page 146 - 24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim

24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim
24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim

spond to the teachings of the Qur'an and the Sunnah and he speaks
in a way that will help people to continue through the day more
joyfully and lively. We may compare this behaviour of believers to
the good fruit tree in the verse above.
However, some people prefer not to speak about the good
qualities of others but want to humiliate them by pointing out their
errors and shortcomings. As we pointed out, in the verses in Surah
Ibrahim, our Lord draws our attention to this and compares this
kind of language to a corrupt tree that bears no fruit. Just as a harsh
word destroys a good relationship, it will also dampen the enthusi-
asm of the other party and be the cause of sorrow and regret.
On the other hand, when a believer speaks with someone giv-
ing him advice about how to remedy his shortcomings or pointing
out his errors, he will take care to choose the best words. In doing
this he will be fulfilling the following command of Allah:

Say to My servants that they should only say the best. Satan
wants to stir up trouble between them. Satan is an outright
enemy to man. (Surat al-Isra': 53)
As Allah says in this verse, satan tries to get people not to say
good things to one another and, in this way, to make them enemies.
When a negative word is spoken, satan immediately starts to intro-
duce suspicions to pry each side apart. A person who feels uncom-
fortable because he has been addressed unpleasantly will be influ-

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